en.Wedoany.com Reported - During the Adriatic Forum held in Venice, the CROSS-CONNECT project showcased its pilot results, revealing how port, airport, and urban transport operators in the Adriatic Sea can optimize passenger connections across sea, air, and urban networks.
Eight partners from Italy and Croatia signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the forum, committing to continued cooperation after the pilot phase. Funded by the 2021-2027 Interreg Italy-Croatia Programme, the project aims to improve multimodal passenger connections between Adriatic ports, airports, and urban areas, with a focus on Venice, Bari-Brindisi, Pula, and Dubrovnik.
The partners also released a document titled "Strategic Roadmap – Framework for Innovative Multimodal Connections between Ports and Hinterlands," which outlines the tested mobility solutions and planning frameworks.
In Venice, the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, together with SAVE, the operator of Venice Marco Polo Airport, tested a "Fly & Cruise" model aimed at streamlining luggage handling for cruise passengers. Under this system, passengers can check in their luggage at the airport and retrieve it on the cruise ship, or check it in at the port and collect it at their final destination airport. This pilot transformed luggage transfer between the airport and cruise ships into a structured management process. The project also funded passenger signage systems, LED screens displaying ship, flight, and transport information, two indoor check-in counters at the port, an explosives trace detection machine, and surveillance cameras integrated into the Porto Marghera SAFE system.
In Brindisi, the pilot connected the port, city center, and major transport hubs through the deployment of smart infrastructure and real-time passenger information systems. In Pula, partners added a new electric bus line, a bus stop, a ticket vending machine, an electric vehicle charging point, and solar-powered trash compactors near the catamaran terminal. In Dubrovnik, the airport and port jointly developed a shared information and communication technology tool integrating airport, port, and public transport information; the airport also added electric baggage tractors and electric bicycles, while the port introduced electric golf carts with trailers for passenger transport within the port area.
The CROSS-CONNECT project does not individually address the challenge of passenger movement across different systems in cruise and ferry traffic, but it provides Adriatic operators with practically tested models that can be replicated or adapted in other regions.
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